This began as an experiment in creating a historical network using agentic coding, specifically Claude Chat, Claude Code, and Claude Design in early 2026.

From fall 2026-spring 2027, the network was re-built systematically using a combination of human and agentic labor.

Principles for unique identifiers:

1. human readable
2. use underscores to separate words
3. use OED to determine canonical spacing of multi-word locations (e.g. coffee house vs. alehouse)
4. unknown locations are labeled by type, underscore unknown, underscore number (e.g. coffee_house_unknown_1)
5. specific people's homes, lodgings, offices, taverns, pubs, etc. should include that word in the label (e.g. sandwich_lodgings, mother_lams_pub)
6. when referring to a person, using the most specific/unique label we have for them (e.g. John Pepys not father)
7. when referring to a person with an honorific and no known first name, include the honorific (e.g. Dr. Hoares)
8. when referring to a person's home, include the honorific unless Pepys visits the family more generally (e.g. both Thomas and Elizabeth Stradwick so their location is stradwick_house)
9. when referring to a palace or other sprawling complex, use the most precise location possible within it (e.g. Westminster, Whitehall, Tower of London, etc.)
10. when referring to a semi-known location, it is acceptable to use higher-level labels (e.g. "city of London")
11. ships are a single location, despite the fact that the ship itself moves
12. when travelling by boat or coach, include the people who transport Pepys as companions only if they are explicitly named by Pepys (e.g. Mr White named as a waterman)

Project Team: Jessica Otis Katherine Kania